NASASpaceFlight.com Forum
General Discussion => Historical Spaceflight => Topic started by: jacqmans on 08/02/2006 07:27 pm
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In november it is 25 years ago that STS-2 was launched...ofcourse a lot needed to be done before Columbia could return to space after STS-1....In the comming days, weeks and months I will post here photograps from my own collection of the preparations of STS-2. Starting today with Columbia in the OPF in August 1981 and her roll over from the OPF to the VAB on August 4, 1981.
Comments are ofcourse welcome, and I hope you will like the photo's :)
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Thanks for posting the pics!
Wow, look at all those high-tech ropes all over the place. ;)
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really puts into perspective what an old bird she really is!
Great shots ;)
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Does anyone (Jim?), know why the External Tank for STS-1 had a dark ' ring ' around it near the top and the STS-2 tank did not? To me, that's the only notable difference between those two tanks. ;)
Great STS-2 processing pics.!!
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Roll Out of STS-2 - August 31, 1981
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Ah yes, the final White ET.
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I'm lucky enough to be able to say that I was there for both the scrubbed launch and then the actual launch. I was attending college in Daytona Beach and AIAA on campus had chartered a bus to take a group down to KSC on a causeway pass. For STS-1 you couldn't buy a seat on the same bus, but for STS-2 there were plenty of seats open- especially since the bus departed in the middle of the night. Following the scrub, we repeated the adventure the next night, only this time the bus got diverted from the causeway, to one of the VIP sites! What a view and the best part was that about half the folks who'd tried to go the day before did not bother the next time- so they missed it. NASA and the USPS had a booth set up for stamping first day covers with the mission logo on them and everyone was having a great time. When it launched, the fellow standing next to me was filming with a Super 8 movie camera. I saw him take it from his eye for a moment to peek at the shuttle, then he got so overcome by the launch that I noticed he had the camera, still running, down by his side while he was screaming "Go baby GO!". I tapped him and he quickly went back to filming. At that launch, however, you could already see the public losing intrest as the crowds were smaller and press coverage- especially network TV- was lessening. We Americans sometimes seem to have a nation-wide case of ADD.
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Probably the American public forgot the lessons from the Apollo - 13 already...
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Wes, if you have any photos do post. What or where was the VIP site back then?
Jacques..did you take any of these?
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Check out how clean her TPS is on those images.
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Ben - 30/10/2006 1:34 AM
Jacques..did you take any of these?
No, I did not take theese images ( I was only 9 at that time), the photo's come from Rockwell. I will post launch and landing photo's of STS-2 in the comming day's (close to November 12).
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So the painted ET only lasted two flights?
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Great collection you got Jacques. Thanks a lot for sharing it with us. You won't happen to have some similar pictures of STS-1 by any chance? ;-)
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Yes I do have a lot of STS-1 photo's.... And other STS missions, I will post them in the near future :-)
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Awesome! Thanks a lot Jacques :-)
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Ben - 29/10/2006 6:34 PM
Wes, if you have any photos do post. What or where was the VIP site back then?
Jacques..did you take any of these?
I don't reall recall where the site was exactly- it was a revetment and we were told that it was an old camera site and that we were the next closest to the pad following the press site. I'll look over the the USGS photos of the cape and see if I can figure it out after a quarter century. I shot a full roll of 36 frames of 35 mm- they came out terrific. I had them stored in my desk in my roomates house on the beach side while I was away from school for several months. The house burned to the ground and I lost a ton of photos. If I can find any, at any point in the future (My mom is famed for having photos socked away and I know I sent some home to her) I'll post them here.
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Static test Road was the former VIP site before it moved to near the Apollo Saturn V center. It was only a little closer than the causeway
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The paint on the tank was for "looks" wasn't it? Someone mentioned that once, but I find that really strange.
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Orbiter Obvious - 30/10/2006 6:44 PM
The paint on the tank was for "looks" wasn't it? Someone mentioned that once, but I find that really strange.
No, to protect the foam from the extended time at the pad
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Jim - 30/10/2006 5:49 PM
Orbiter Obvious - 30/10/2006 6:44 PM
The paint on the tank was for "looks" wasn't it? Someone mentioned that once, but I find that really strange.
No, to protect the foam from the extended time at the pad
--Could painting the ET white again add an extra layer of safety in regards to the foam issue, which I realize has already been mitigated considerably? ;)
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shuttlefan - 30/10/2006 7:32 PM
Could painting the ET white again add an extra layer of safety in regards to the foam issue, which I realize has already been mitigated considerably? ;)
http://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight/main/email_responses.html
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I had read that the paint was just for the "look" to make it look all nice and color matched. By dropping the paint they saved a ton of weight. Dont think the paint would do much to protect the tank foam, it was quite thin. Look at the STS 3 photos and you can tell they still had some "white" hardware left off at the tank factory.
The photos of the shuttle in the VAB really bring home the post a made a few months back about "remember when all the tiles on the bottom of the shuttle were nice and black". They really do fade after a few entries.
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Zoomer30 - 31/10/2006 8:59 PM
Dont think the paint would do much to protect the tank foam, it was quite thin.
No.
As I said, the paint was to protect the foam from the UV rays of the sun. The foam breaks down when exposed to UV. That's why the tanks darken as time progresses.
NASA knew the first few missions would have extended pad times. And yes, it was removed to save 600lbs of weight once the pad times were to be reduced
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It is great to see a STS-2 page. I remember the flight very well. I was very excited because the Space Shuttle was flying again and my history teacher let me(and the rest of class) watch it on tv. STS-2 was my favorite flight of the first four test flights. I have always been a big Joe Engle fan and I was happy to see him finally go into space. Great photos and please keep them coming. Keep up the great job. Thank you
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STS-2 launch, November 12, 1981...
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Jim - 30/10/2006 1:19 PM
Static test Road was the former VIP site before it moved to near the Apollo Saturn V center. It was only a little closer than the causeway
For STS-2 there was another site off of Schwartz Road, roughly mid-way between the site at Static Test Road and the Press Site. That's where I watched that launch from, and that was also where a seperate bleacher section was set up for the crew family and friends. I had an old Super-8 mm movie camera set up on a tripod for that one, so of course, had no audio, but I also tape-recorded the sound...one of those long-lost "projects" to combine the two.) I also met John Denver at that launch, who's (much better) set up was right next to mine. Somewhere I have a pic from that day, with the VAB in the background to show the geographic persepctive, and will add it to this post if I can find it.
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This might be a good time to ask this - the crane atop the FSS, what was it's supposed purpose (or was it just a leftover from the Apollo days)?
When was it finally removed?
(interesting to note that the machinery structure/housing was left and is still there)
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MKremer - 3/11/2006 6:36 PM
This might be a good time to ask this - the crane atop the FSS, what was it's supposed purpose (or was it just a leftover from the Apollo days)?
When was it finally removed?
(interesting to note that the machinery structure/housing was left and is still there)
The Fixed Service Structure is located on the north side of each pad's hardstand. It is an open framework structure about 40 feet (12.2 meters) square. A hammerhead crane on top provides hoisting services as required in pad operations. There are 12 work levels at 20-foot (6.1-meter) intervals. The height of the structure to the top of the tower is 247 feet (75 meters), while the distance to the top of the hammerhead crane is 265 feet (81 meters). The 80-foot (24-meter) fiberglass lightning mast tops off the Fixed Service Structure at 347 feet (106 meters).
The Fixed Service Structure has three service arms. They are the Orbiter Access Arm, the
External Tank Hydrogen Vent Line Access Arm and the External Tank Gaseous Oxygen Vent Arm.
The hammerhead cranes were later removed (pad A in 1994 and pad B in 1995) due to the high cost of maintaining them. It was decided that, since a ground based crane could be used, it was cheaper to remove and scap them, than it was to refurbish them.
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MKremer - 3/11/2006 12:36 PM
This might be a good time to ask this - the crane atop the FSS, what was it's supposed purpose (or was it just a leftover from the Apollo days)?
When was it finally removed?
(interesting to note that the machinery structure/housing was left and is still there)
Those were there until a few years ago. It was just a crane that was available at the pad. The O&M costs out weighted the usefulness. A mobile crane now does any of the work
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Found that picture and edited it into the post above...you can see the VAB location and orientation and get a sense of where that viewing spot was in relation to it.
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Nice shirt ;)
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Chris Bergin - 4/11/2006 11:20 AM
Nice shirt ;)
Hehe...hey, it was 1981, and he was probably making a statement about being a "country boy!"
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Wow, is that the same John Denver who is no longer with us?
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Yep...a very big fan of the space program, and always wanted to fly on the Shuttle. (Listen to the words of his song "Flying For Me" written in tribute to the Challenger crew.)
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What a great thread. Thanks to all that contribute.
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Final STS-2 Launch photo's
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And before any two bit blog site gets any ideas, that first of the three images is not from the ISS ;)
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Beautiful images and history.
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The final STS-2 images from my collection..
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I was watching the video posted in the NSF forum about the first four shuttle flights, I do remember them and the atmosphere was so different then to now. Thanks for the photos.
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Terrific collection Jacques, thanks again for sharing it with us :-) Looking forward to more ;-)
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Hi guys, I found this thread looking for any audio on the STS-2. I was there at the VAB, right next to the count down clock. I am a photographer and took some incredible images. I also recorded the audio but unfortunately it was lost (or misplaced) when I asked someone 16+ years ago to do a video of my transparencies along with my audio. Thankfully I got the slides back-but not the audio. So, I finally had them scanned and put on a CD to do a slide show. Imagine how I felt looking over these images again-it all came back! The clicking of the hundreds of cameras and the whoops of laughter as Columbia took off for it's second voyage. The ground shook! I literally wanted to put my hand on my heart and sing "God Bless America", it was that moving. I cried too. Now I have to figure out how to post an image. Anyone want to help?Thanks, Kim
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Kim, posting an image is easy. When you reply to a message, just above 'submit' you will see the option 'attach a file after posting'. Tick that box and then click 'submit'. In the next screen you can choose an image stored on your computer and post it with your message. Easy!
I would love to see your images.
Ed
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Was the FSS red back in the day, or is that just the age of the prints?
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I do love the pics of Engle and Truly in their helmets and goggles. Being a collector of WW2 flying gear, I see the leather helemt appears to be an A-11 and the kahki cloth helmet appears to be an ANH-15. Both are wearing AN-6530 goggles. I can't tell what kind of leather jackets they are wearing. Since their gear is of WW2 vintage, the SPAD model is out of place!
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It was red...
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I was in 2nd grade when she flew that morning. My folks let me stay home to watch the launch on tv. I remember the tv coverage lasting all morning. I think Morton Dean did a report on the RMS--and the operator used a trainer to grasp a piece of paper in his hand with it.
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Its so very sad that she is gone forever, only "Remains".
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bump......
STS-2: "Space Shuttle Columbia: Second Flight" 1981 NASA First Reuse of a Manned Spacecraft
Jeff Quitney
Published on May 13, 2017
Astronauts: Joe H. Engle and Richard H. Truly
Launch date: November 12, 1981
Covers unprecedented second launch of the Space Shuttle Columbia, the world's first reusable spacecraft. Also includes the events leading up to the second launch, major crew activities on-orbit, and landing.
NASA film HQ-324 aka JSC-818
STS-2 Mission Report
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19830001834.pdf
A new epoch in space travel—the era of reusable space vehicles—opened with the launch of NASA's Space Shuttle from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, at 10:10 a.m EST, November 12, 1981. The manned Space Shuttle orbiter Columbia flew into space again, making It the first space vehicle to be used more than once—another step toward certifying Space Shuttle as an operational spacecraft.
Columbia is the first of four planned orbiters... This mission, called STS-2, is the second of four orbital flight tests designed to Improve and ready STS for operational use...
The flight test was planned to last for more than five days. However, early on the first day, trouble developed in one of Columbia's fuel cells that convert hydrogen and oxygen Into electrical power for the spacecraft and drinking water for the crew. With one of three fuel cells malfunctioning, mission safety rules called for STS-2 to be reduced to a minimal mission lasting 54 hours (36 orbits of Earth). After some deliberation, test managers decided to go by the book. As a result, the crew—NASA astronauts Joe H. Engle, commander, and Richard H. Truly, pilot—reluctantly cut short their space mission, landing Columbia at 4:23 p m. EST, November 14, at Edwards Air Force Base. California. Their total flight time was 2 days, 6 hours, 13 minutes and 12 seconds...
Among their major goals was the first test in space of a Canadian-built remote manipulator system. The system is comprised of a huge mechanical arm, operating from Columbia's cavernous payload bay and guided by controls on Columbia's control deck. The system is designed to deploy payloads into orbit and retrieve them, as well as for other freight -handling activities in space. The arm can even be used to reach around and inspect various external parts of Columbia. It has its own lighting system and closed circuit television so that the crews operating it have a close-up view of what they are doing.
The mechanical arm is jointed like a human arm at the shoulder, elbow, and wrist. Fully extended, it is 15.3 meters (50 feet) long. It is 38 centimeters (15 inches) in diameter. Despite its size, it is made of sturdy, lightweight materials giving it a weight on Earth of only 408 kilograms (900 pounds). The human analogy ends with the wrist. Its "hand," called an "end effector," consists of a snare wire device that can be tightened around grapples attached to the payloads.
Engle and Truly operated the arm in all of its modes, ranging from fully automatic, in which it is programmed in advance by computer to perform a series of operations, to fully manual, in which it is operated directly from a control panel that bypasses the
computer...
In addition to gathering engineering dam, Columbia in STS-2 conducted experiments that would contribute to such fields as prospecting for oil, gas, coal, and minerals, locating promising ocean fishing grounds, understanding how gravity affects plant growth, forecasting thunderstorms, and other severe weather, and measuring air pollution.
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Reupload of a previously uploaded film, in one piece instead of multiple parts, and with improved video & sound.
Originally a public domain film from NASA, slightly cropped to remove uneven edges, with the aspect ratio corrected, and one-pass brightness-contrast-color correction & mild video noise reduction applied.
The soundtrack was also processed with volume normalization, noise reduction, clipping reduction, and/or equalization (the resulting sound, though not perfect, is far less noisy than the original).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ojAHoSBu0s?=001
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ojAHoSBu0s
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The final STS-2 images from my collection..
That brown tint in the photos isn't very nice to look at, unfortunately that was the style in the 70s-80s. Compare Gemini-era images which have much more natural-looking color.